#1. Go straight to emergency if your jaw is locked or if when you bite down your teeth are not touching either on one, or both sides.

#2. Rest from excessively chewy foods like steak and gums and avoid large bites e.g. Hamburgers.

#3. Apply ice from the ear down along the line of the jaw for 10-20 minutes, 2-3 times daily.

#4. Looking in the mirror, open your mouth within the limit of pain free movement. The middle of the centre top two and bottom two teeth should draw a straight line.

#5. 3 days post the initial injury, have the underlying dysfunction assessed by a jaw specialist physiotherapist.
They will;
– rule out any other possible diagnoses
– refer you on to the relevant medical or dental practitioners if required, and
– begin local treatment to release local muscle spasm, relocate disc derangement, release capsular or ligament stiff-ness and
provide you with further education on home exercises to restore the normal muscular strength.